Providing a positive onboarding experience builds the productivity of your new hires, reduces employee turnover, and promotes a positive company culture. I’d imagine you had an effective onboarding program in place before 2020. However, when COVID hit, this would have left you no choice but to revise your onboarding process into a virtual plan.
Although this may have been frustrating for some businesses, we learnt many lessons from this pandemic and have now adapted to the new norm. Virtual technology like Zoom and Google Meets have replaced face-to-face communication, team meetings, and even new hires into an organisation. One important lesson learnt is that geography does not play a factor when it comes to hiring new staff. Another is that companies are embracing the remote working system, which has been incorporated into current employment offerings.
Working from home can still be difficult, as this removes the benefits of in-person interactions and can be hard for new hires to bond with their new teammates. This raises the question for all organisations, do you have a strong virtual onboarding experience in place?
Virtual Orientation is a chance for new employees to learn about your organisation and the role they’ll play within it. Although this is a more formal process, make it memorable by demonstrating your values, mission and ambitions for the company and more importantly for your new employee.
The welcome strategy is very important in comforting new hires and making them feel like they’re already a part of the team. Sending a welcome package allows individuals to immerse themselves in the company, this can be done by sending handbooks, relevant information, and your organisational chart. A virtual welcome email from the new employee manager can set a good first impression and help build a positive working relationship. A company email is always fun to send which can introduce the team members including bio and fun facts such as hobbies and interests. This can break the ice and will encourage team members to interact with their new team members and make them feel welcome.
Make a good first impression by showcasing your Culture and Vision – Your organization’s vision, mission, and values are very important and it is crucial to demonstrate this at the early stages of onboarding.
Giving your new hire a support system – It is vital to provide contacts for your new employee to lean on in the starting weeks. Even assigning an ‘onboarding buddy’ is a good concept, allowing team members to check-in and upskill them in their first weeks of the company.
Onboarding shouldn’t end after their first week. Use a system and structure to check in regularly even setting dates where you can assess performance and give guidance of where they can improve within your organisation.
Be sure to check our Offshore Staff Onboarding Guide on our free resources page to learn more!
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